So I’ve started doing a more in-depth study of particles for use in future games of ours. Particles of the 2D video game variety are basically sprites with an expiration date and can be used for a number of special effects & animations. The really funny thing is that now that I’m studying about them, I’m seeing them ALL over the place when I play other games.
Some of the things you could use particles to do include:
Fire & smoke effects.
Rain & snow.
Projectiles.
Icons popping up over people’s heads. Like the exclamation marks in the Metal Gear Solid series or the tear-drops that appear in so many anime-esque RPGs.
Footprints in the sand or snow.
Sparks.
Bullet casings falling from a gun.
Visual trails (like the duplicate sprite effect you see with the main character in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night).
As you can see particles can be used for all sorts of things. I look forward to discovering and implementing all sorts of cool effects with them in the future. 🙂
Mercury particle engine is free and compatible with XNA
I don’t know if this is appropriate for the engine you’re working in, but attaching light sources to your particles can make them really pop!